by Lydia Holley December 7, 2020
Winter seems to be the most boring time of year for the gardener. But it does not have to be. In fact, you can have just as exciting a garden in winter as you do in summer. In this series, I will go over a few features to consider adding to your own garden for winter interest.
Most people do not think of blooms when they imagine a winter garden. However, gardeners in East Texas can have flowers even in our coldest months. Quite a number of years ago, I was challenged to have something blooming in my garden every day of the year. I took the challenge seriously and began to acquire plants which bloomed during the 100-plus temperatures we often receive in summer as well as the freezing temperatures of winter. There are now just a very few days throughout the year my garden does not display at least one bloom. If you would like to have blooms in your garden throughout winter, there are several shrubs which can help you achieve this goal.
If you can add only one type of shrub to bring blooms to your garden in winter, it should be camellias. Camellias bloom from fall to spring, depending on the type. Many camellias have already begun blooming, while others will continue through spring. At times, your camellia blooms may freeze, but another flower usually pops open within the next day or two.
Daphne has a heavenly scent along with evergreen foliage and late winter blooms. Paperbush has showy blooms that hang from deciduous stems. Depending on the cultivar, flowering quince may be one of the earliest shrubs to flower after the first of the year.
Winter jasmine grows in part shade and will bridge the gap between winter and spring blooms. Like winter jasmine, winter honeysuckle blooms on bare branches in late winter. Other shrubs which may bloom for you when nothing else does are tea olives, Chinese fringe flower, rosemary, and viburnums.
For a groundcover which blooms in winter, try hellebores. Depending upon the type, you may need to venture outside to see their blooms which hang underneath their evergreen leaves. They prefer part shade.
If you don’t have room for shrubs, add a few bulbs. Grape hyacinths are one of the first bulbs to emerge in spring. Plant them in masses. Other winter-blooming bulbs to try are paperwhite narcissus and Siberian squill. Both will bloom in late winter before your spring daffodils do.
For more information, call 903-675-6130, email [email protected].
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